


Casa per Natale

by BarracudaHeart, CosmicTanzanite



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: (sort of), Alcohol, Canon Character of Color, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Christmas traditions, Cuban Holiday Traditions, Disownment, Dysfunctional Family, Estrangement, Family Issues, Family Reunions, Gyro misses his siblings, Hanukkah, Holidays, Italian Holiday Traditions, Loneliness, M/M, Melancholy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 02:17:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17133164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarracudaHeart/pseuds/BarracudaHeart, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicTanzanite/pseuds/CosmicTanzanite
Summary: There are many discoveries Fenton makes about Gyro's history with the holidays during their first shared Christmas together. Some are good, some are not.  Fenton hopes to fix the latter.





	Casa per Natale

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! We've had this story in our drafts for a while, wanting to save it for Christmas Eve. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did writing it!

In the few years they’d known each other, and in the months they had been dating, Fenton was still baffled at one thing he’d discovered about Gyro: he loved Christmas. 

He didn’t say it outright, but Fenton got a sense of it just from observing him during the year. Gyro never had much interest in any of the other holidays (not even his birthday), but there was something different about Christmas. Gyro would come up with inventions that seemed pretty in-tune with the holiday, from self-decorating trees to robot Santas and attempts at jet-propelled sleighs. He hardly even seemed upset if they needed re-working. 

In fact, Gyro didn’t seem upset at all during the holiday season, at least not to the point he exhausted himself into a screeching wreck like usual.  Back when he was an intern, Fenton had spilled a whole gallon of machinery lubricant on the floor one December 15th, and Gyro had remained deadpanned and calm, only to tell him to be more careful next time and “go get a mop,  _ please _ .” That word coming out of the inventor’s mouth without any sarcasm or snark was sweet music to Fenton’s ears, almost moreso than the holiday music playlist Gyro had switched the lab’s radio to. Gyro would even gift the interns a present every Christmas. Granted, the presents were usually things like cheap nearly-expired chocolate boxes that still had the dollar store stickers on them, but it was the thought that counted

By the time Fenton would begin wondering if Gyro had felt his heart grow three sizes, January 1st hit, and the chicken was back to his usual grumpy, foul-mouthed demeanor. It disappointed Fenton at first, but then he just figured Gyro caught the holiday bug easier than others.

But he didn’t exactly know why. 

Now that they were dating, maybe he could find out. Or at least maybe he could get a better look into what Gyro did for the holidays beyond their workspace.

* * *

“I know I’m spending the actual holiday at your place, but I still want to put some decorations up in my apartment,” Gyro mentioned to Fenton as he adjusted the fake metallic tree he put up every year. “Want to help?”

“I want to stop by the bakery for some stuff, but you could come with me! Then we could go to your place after?” Fenton suggested, watching Gyro as he was buried up to his arms in the fake tree, trying to adjust the wires inside to get the lights flickering. He winced as he heard electricity course throughout the tree and the inventor, both lighting up brilliantly for a moment. 

Gyro stumbled backward before Fenton could respond, slightly singed in the feathertips. “Sure!” he responded with a drunken laugh, having been shocked silly. 

Even a couple of weeks away from Christmas, the bakery was bustling with customers all in line to examine the goods and buy their holiday treats. Fenton was glad it was the holidays because he knew such a crowd would have annoyed Gyro during the rest of the year. Right now, he seemed pretty docile stuck in the middle of the line as he scrolled social media on his phone.

“Have you ever had  _ buñuelos _ ?” Fenton asked.

“Can’t say I have,” Gyro admitted, not looking up from his phone. “Haven’t even ever heard of them.”

“Well, I’ll buy some now so you can try them, and then if you like them, M’ma and I will show you how to make some for Christmas Eve.” The duck grinned to his boyfriend and stepped up to the counter once they were towards the front of the line to get a good look at all the various pastries set up for the holiday. 

Fenton could almost taste the iced gingerbread rolls he was ordering alongside the aforementioned fried dough balls and sugar cookies sprinkled in shimmering blue crystals. “We’re gonna be stuffed like turkeys before Christmas even starts,” he laughed. “Anything you see that you want, Gyro?”

When Fenton turned his head to get an answer, he saw Gyro staring with a slightly marveled look at something down in the bread case. A tall, cupola-shaped loaf speckled with dark chunks of fruit and dusted with powdered sugar sat next to the other items, and for whatever reason, it had caught Gyro’s attention.

“Uh…?” Fenton tried to snap him out of his supposed trance, but Gyro was evidently clear-headed as he looked up to the bakery clerk and pointed at the loaf.

“Can I get one of these?”

“ _ Panettone _ ? Fourteen dollars,” the clerk announced, and Gyro grabbed his wallet. He frowned when he only had a ten dollar bill, but Fenton slapped down a twenty, looking to him with an assuring smile.

Once they were back in the car, Fenton took notice of the relaxed smile on Gyro’s face as his head instinctively jostled slightly to the holiday music on the radio and the boxed ‘panettone’ he was holding in his lap. The duck couldn’t help but smile at the sight, finding it rather adorable.

“What is that you picked out?” Fenton decided to ask with curiosity. “Is it fruitcake?”

“Kind of? But better.” Gyro shrugged. “It’s an Italian sweet bread. I used to eat it with my family every Christmas. It’s been a while since I’ve found one around here, and it’s the first I’ve found in Duckburg.”

“Awww. I bet it will taste pretty good then.” Fenton smiled, absently looking at the decorative lights lining the streets as they drove past.

“We’ll have to try a slice when we get to my place,” Gyro offered with a muted smile, resting his head against the window as he looked out at the dark winter sky.

Fenton was taken by surprise when they got inside Gyro’s apartment and saw it was already decked with lights and decorations. There was even a tree with all the trimmings.

“I thought you said you needed help decorating!”

“I do! This is only half my Christmas decorations,” Gyro giggled casually as he put the bakery goods in the fridge and the panettone on the kitchen table. He was not seeing what surprised Fenton so much.

“Gyro, oh my god. You are almost worse than M’ma.”

“What? I don’t get it!” The chicken folded his arms, unaware of the idea he may be addicted to Christmas decor.

“N-Nothing,” Fenton said, stifling more of his giggles. “Let’s just try the fruitcake.”

Gyro cut out a wedge of the loaf and cut it in half to share. He looked thoughtfully at the fruit distributed throughout it and took a bite, Fenton following suit.

After a few chews to get the taste figured out, Gyro seemed quite pleased and took another bite. “It’s good.”

“Really good!” Fenton concluded, surprised at the soft spongy texture and the delightful citrusy flavor. “This is delicious, Gyro!”

“I said it was good,” Gyro corrected him, slightly smug. “I’ve had way better. My eldest sister, Gina, made the best panettone loaves, and we’d all fight over the last piece.”

“What’s the secret?” Fenton took another bite.

“Well...no raisins I think.” Gyro looked at the pieces of fruit inside the loaf. “Gina hated raisins, so she put cranberries in instead. And homemade candied orange...ooh and probably some sort of white wine, but I don’t know for sure. She never would tell us.”

“Maybe you can ask her for the recipe,” Fenton suggested, helping himself to another slice.

“Doubt it. I haven’t seen her in years...or any of my siblings really,” Gyro admitted, folding his arms and glancing at the table.   
  
The answer surprised Fenton. He still didn’t know much about Gyro’s family situation outside of his parents’ divorce and their individual treatment of him. While he did mention his siblings in passing, the duck hadn’t considered that they weren’t in contact anymore because he always spoke of them so fondly.

“You haven’t?” he finally asked.   
  
“Nah,” Gyro replied, giving a small laugh. “When my dad finally told me to get lost, he forcefully cut me off from the lot of them. I have no idea where they are now and haven’t for a long, long time.”   
  
“Oh….” A frown made its way to Fenton’s beak as he watched his boyfriend retell the obviously upsetting story. “Have you tried to find them?”   
  
Gyro froze for a few seconds before speaking again. “No. I haven’t.”   
  
“Why not?”   
  
“I….haven’t had time.” 

Fenton gave him a look to let him easily know he sensed his lie, causing the chicken to heave a long sigh.   
  
“I don’t know,” he groaned, looking even more upset. “I’ve thought about it, but honestly, I’m not sure they’d even want me reaching out to them. I don’t know if _ anyone _ in my family wants to hear from me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t.”   
  
“Are you serious!?” the duck gasped. “Gyro, I’ve heard you talk about your siblings, and it seems like you guys had a lot of fun together. Why wouldn’t they want to catch up with you? I mean, think about how much you have to tell them now! You’re head of research under the richest duck in the world! If anything, they’d be proud of you.”   
  
For a second, a smile almost formed on Gyro’s beak at Fenton’s kind words. However, it didn’t quite make it before dropping into a full frown. “I don’t know. Things were and still are rather….complicated between my parents and I, especially my dad. As much as I don’t like to think about it, it’s very possible they’re still in contact with him, and if that’s the case, well, it’s probably best I keep my distance. I could stop world hunger and that man would still want me as far away from him and the rest of the family as possible.”   
  
“I see….” Fenton’s heart ached as he heard the other speak of his family. “But what if they do miss you as much as you miss them?”   
  
Gyro’s expression softened for a second at the suggestion, but he was quick to shake his head and shrug. “I don’t know. It’s probably best I leave things as they’ve been for years.”   
  
Fenton knew in his heart it wasn’t. At least not for Gyro. However, he was willing to respect his decision and try to drop the subject.   
  
“If you say so,” he answered, giving a nod of understanding. “Anyway, do you want to get started on those decorations now?”   
  
The chicken didn’t respond. He was staring at the table again with a gloomy look on his face. Finally, he got to his feet and stretched. “You go ahead. I need to use the bathroom.”   
  
“Oh. Alright.” Fenton tried to smile, but doing so was hard as he watched his boyfriend sadly trudge to the small room near the back of the apartment and shut the door behind him without a sound. 

* * *

“Pollito, less moping, more untangling! The house lights aren’t going to set themselves up!”

“Ahh, sorry M’ma,” Fenton sighed, shaking his head as he was knelt in the garage and fiddling with the cords of all the Christmas lights. “I just feel bad bringing up Gyro’s family with him the other night. He was fine a little while later, but I didn’t mean to make him so gloomy on the one holiday he actually likes!”

“Well, he’ll feel even less gloomy when he sees the lights on our house if you keep untangling the cords.”

“I guess. I just want Gyro to have a good Christmas, and I don’t want to screw it up. I don’t even have a present for him yet!”

“Honey, you know presents aren’t everything.”

“That’s not gonna sound too sincere when everyone else has presents but him,” Fenton snorted softly, managing to untangle one strand of lights. “Okay, one down...forty more to go. M’ma are you sure we need lights all over the house?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, maybe you have something in common with Gyro after all,” Fenton teased.

M’ma turned to him, looking rather offended by his statement. “Please don’t say that.”

* * *

“Hey Gyro, when you were a kid, did you write letters to Santa Claus?”

“Yes, but he never answered any of the questions I sent him. One year, I asked him about various elemental gases, and all I got in reply was a glow in the dark yo-yo,” Gyro spoke up as he worked on a blueprint at his desk.

“Okay, so if you could write a letter to Santa Claus now for anything, what would you ask for?”

When Gyro looked over in confusion, Fenton groaned. “Okay, look. I just want to know what you’d like for Christmas, but if I tell you I didn’t have a gift yet, I’d feel like a bad boyfriend.”

“Ah.” Gyro gave a nod, back to his work. “I’m not too picky with gifts. Don’t worry about it.”

Fenton screamed internally. That was the worst response  _ ever _ when it came to getting gifts for people because deep down he knew it was them testing his knowledge on what they would be most truly wanting.

“Could you maybe narrow it down to at least three ideas?” Fenton smiled tightly, stressing over the idea of shopping in crowded malls or fretting over online orders with only a little under two weeks left.

“You really don’t have to worry about getting me anything. I promise.” Gyro waved him off.

“But I want you to really like your gift and-heeey, are you just saying that because you didn’t get me anything?”

“No? Because I already have your present.” Gyro glanced at him with a bit of a smile.

“What is it?”

“A great big box of ‘I’m not telling you, dummy’.” Gyro grinned smugly for a moment and got up to go get more coffee from upstairs. “You’ll just have to wait until Christmas.”   


When Gyro was gone, Manny tapped a hoof on his desk.

“Wait, you know what Gyro got me? What is it?”

More tapping.

“He swore you to secrecy? Oh, he’s  _ good _ .”

When the elevator came back down, Gyro was visibly shaken and had white powder scattered on his shoulders. “U-um,” he began, sounding off guard, “I went to get coffee, and I was pelted with snowballs by Launchpad and those three  _ horrible _ children.”

“He was caught in the crossfire of the war!” Launchpad announced, both cheerful and apologetic. “I won.”

“I forgot to ask, Launchpad! How was Hanukkah?” Fenton smiled, knowing the holiday ended just the other day

“It was great! I got eight presents a day.”

“Not Jewish here but...isn’t it supposed to be one present each for eight days?” Gyro asked.

“Whaaaaaa? Well, that explains why I got a 64-pack of crayons all individually wrapped that one year.” Launchpad rubbed his chin. “But at least this year and the last, I got 32 pairs of matching socks!” He held up his black sock-clad feet. “This year, Launchpad McQuack is _ not _ goin’ sockless!”

“What happened to last years’ 32 sock pairs?”

“So...remember that puppet show I put on commemorating the whole shadow fiasco?”

Fenton and Gyro both remained eerily quiet.

“Happy holidays, Launchpad,” Gyro awkwardly dismissed him as he walked to his desk and kicked back in his chair, coffee in hand.

“You guys goin’ to Mister McDee’s Christmas party tonight?”

“I don’t think so.” Gyro shook his head.

“Wait, there’s a Christmas party here?” Fenton was surprised he never knew about it.

“Yeah. Every year he throws a party for all his employees. I go for the sensation of joy and family. Also the free food,” Launchpad explained. “You should go this year!”

“Maybe! Sounds like fun.”

When Launchpad went back upstairs, Fenton glanced to Gyro. “Why did you say you might not go?”

“I’m not a big fan of McDuck ‘company’ events. Whenever I go to that holiday party, I just stash the mini quiches and leave after twenty minutes of standing awkwardly in the corner while everyone else has fun. I just feel out of place there.” The chicken shrugged.

“Ah.” Fenton tapped his fingers together, still not quite done with his attempts to convince the other to attend their boss’ party. “What if I went with you?”   
  
Gyro raised a brow. “Then I suppose you’d run off to chat with everyone in the entire manor since you’re quite the social butterfly and leave me to my mini quiches.”   
  
The duck frowned slightly, giving Gyro a nudge. “Awww, come on! You know that wouldn’t happen.”   
  
“Do I?”   
  
Fenton raised a finger and opened his bill to speak but stopped himself when he realized an answer wasn’t coming to him. “Well, if you went with me, I wouldn’t leave your side!”   
  
“You’re actually going?” Gyro asked, almost sounding surprised. “I thought you were just trying to appease Launchpad.”   
  
“Yeah. I’d like to,” the duck confessed.   
  
The other looked almost surprised at this. “Why?” 

“Because what other time of year do we have Christmas parties and free food?”   
  
“...I don’t have a choice in this matter, do I?”   
  
“Nope!”   
  
“Fine.” Sighing, the chicken crossed his arms, but his face let Fenton know that he wasn’t too disappointed. “I’ll go. But you are  _ not  _ making me dance, okay?” Gyro shuddered. “I think the blue nephew still has that video, and I am not happy about it.”   


“Deal!” Fenton grinned.

* * *

When they parked at the mansion that evening, Gyro awkwardly scratched at himself, finding the sweater he changed into to be rather itchy. “I can already see like fifty different company employees in there.”

“How many usually go to this thing?”

“In the years I went, around two hundred.” Gyro sounded rather disparaging. “And none of them are interesting enough to talk to.”

“Awww. At least I’m here this time,” Fenton said with a grin.

“If you say so,” the inventor mumbled, stepping out and walking up to the door.

The inside foyer was already full of people and neither of the couple could find where in the world to put their coats for about ten minutes. And by the time they had their coats checked, fifty more people had gotten inside. There was a lot of maneuvering through the cluster of guests to even find the refreshment table, the top priority for the non-social Gyro. And while there was a decent amount of treats, much to the chicken’s frustration, all the quiches had been taken.

“Blathering seagulls!”

“Gyro, be nice.”

“No, look over there! There’s literally two seagull employees speed-devouring them in some weird challenge.” Gyro pointed to the crowd of partygoers chanting the word “eat” over and over.

“Ah well. Those little brownies look good though!” Fenton grabbed for one, holding it out to Gyro who declined. He then shrugged and ate it himself.   


“Uhhh, hey! Huge announcement from Mr. McDee!” Launchpad called out on a megaphone. “Would everyone who’s parked in the roundabout move their car to the street? Because you won’t be able to get yourself out when you try to go home if you don’t.”

Fenton groaned softly as he held the brownie in his bill. “I parked in there. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Mhm,” sighed Gyro, staring slightly unimpressed at a candy cane he’d picked up to examine.

With at least 50 people leaving to go handle their parking situation, the party floor had cleared up quite a bit, and Gyro found it a bit easier to move around. He caught sight of the holiday decorations set up by the fireplace and started walking in that direction to get a better look at them.

About halfway there, Gyro had taken a glance at the crowd and suddenly stopped as he swore he saw a familiar face. In the crowd of people, he saw a hen employee pass by, and a sense of familiarity struck him. He walked closer, and after another look, he almost felt certain he knew her.

_ Marie! _

She was the sister he was closest to in age, for she was only about a year older than him. They’d gotten along well since she always empathized with his woes about being the youngest in the family. He’d been glum when she graduated high school a year early and left home, and he never saw her again just like their other siblings. But he still remembered exactly what she looked like: long red hair that she always kept in a bow and lots and lots of freckles. He’d only gotten a glimpse of her face from the crowd, but he very easily recognized the hair.

His heart almost leaped at the idea that she’d been employed at this company the whole time, and he just never knew. Walking half a step faster than before, he approached closer and closer, trying not to look too excited as he tapped her shoulder.

She turned around. “Yes?”

Gyro froze, and his heart sank. Upon closer examination, he realized very quickly it wasn’t Marie. This hen had no freckles and a different face shape.

“Do you need something?”

“A-Ah, no,” he swallowed, feeling his face growing hot. “I uh...I believe I’ve mistaken you for someone else.”

“Oh, okay.” The employee smiled slightly in understanding and was back to her previous conversation.

Gyro immediately turned around and began walking back stiffly towards the table he’d been over by earlier, not interested in looking at decorations anymore. He felt his face growing redder and redder as his stomach knotted. He was beginning to really hate the crowded atmosphere of the room. Gyro stood there in numb silence for ten whole minutes when Fenton finally returned back.   
  
“Whew, sorry about that! It was a circus out there trying to find street parking. Did I miss anything?” The duck looked up at his boyfriend cheerfully.

“...I want to go home,” Gyro grumbled.

“Wh-but, c’mon! We just got here!” Fenton exclaimed with exasperation.

“I want to go home,” the inventor repeated irritably.

“Look, I’m sorry you didn’t get your snacks, but I just re-parked. I wanna check out the party a bit.”

“Fenton, I don’t want to be here anymore,” Gyro insisted, glaring at him and folding his arms.

“Wh...Gyro, would you just chill out for once and try to enjoy being around people? It’s the holidays!” Fenton threw his hands up in slight frustration at how disagreeable the chicken was being.

Gyro didn’t respond, instead giving a long, seething glare to Fenton and walking off in the direction of the foyer. Fenton felt a slight twinge of guilt at having snapped at Gyro, but after the whole parking fiasco, he didn’t think it was too much to ask for at least twenty minutes of mingling and taking in the atmosphere. If Gyro wanted to go sulk and be grumpy, fine by him.    
  
He caught Launchpad over by the piano, being ignored by all the partygoers even as he played and sang joyfully. After about ten minutes of chattering about random stuff with Launchpad, the large duck told Fenton he was going to ditch the party pretty soon to catch the “Darkwing Duck Non-Denominational Holiday Special” in the garage.

“It’s an annual tradition for me to catch it when it airs on TV,” Launchpad insisted. “I also have lots of mini-quiches. And booze.”

“Oh, that’s great! It’s the perfect thing to cheer Gyro up,” Fenton laughed. “I’ll try to drop by. See you!” He waved to Launchpad before running off to find Gyro.

The duck expected to see his boyfriend sulking and scowling in the foyer, but he was nowhere to be seen. He asked the guests standing around if any of them had noticed Gyro, and one of them mentioned seeing him go out. Fenton grumbled slightly as he grabbed his coat.

When he stepped outside, it took him a minute to see where Gyro went since it was so dark and there were partygoers mingling by the cars, but he finally caught sight of the chicken sat on the bench facing the centerpiece fountain of the round-about, staring into the frozen water.

Stepping closer, Fenton tried to decipher how angry Gyro looked, but much to his surprise and concern, he just looked  _ sad _ .

“Gyro?” Fenton spoke up softly, feeling his stomach knot when his boyfriend didn’t respond. “Gyro, I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

An indifferent, distant hum came from Gyro’s throat, and he continued to stare ahead, looking melancholy.

“...Is everything okay?”

There was no answer for a long time, and Fenton got a bit worried that Gyro was really angry at him for not letting him go home, but before he could explain himself, the chicken finally spoke up.

“I thought I saw one of my sisters at the party. And it wasn’t her.”   
  
“Oh….” was all Fenton could say as he processed what the other told him. Knowing what he did about his siblings now, he understood how much that must have hurt, which in turn made him feel even guiltier about snapping.   
  
“I don’t know why I thought it was,” Gyro rambled. “Surely if she was anywhere near Duckburg, she would have contacted me, right? Unless…” He sighed, running a hand through the styled tuft of feathers on his head. 

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” Fenton furrowed his brow as he sat on the bench next to Gyro and squished against him to block the winter chill. “I’m sure your siblings would contact you if they knew you were here.”

A doubtful grunt exited Gyro’s throat, and he slumped against Fenton’s side with a sigh. “I still feel stupid thinking it was her. If she lived in Duckburg, she’d at least be findable on social media because of GPS tracking, but I can’t find her or any of my siblings anywhere. They probably all live far away.”

Fenton tried to give a hopeful smile at the suggestion that Gyro’s family wasn’t just avoiding him, but the inventor’s face wasn’t hopeful, rather...defeated with the conclusion he was never going to see any of them ever again. The hopeless, crestfallen look on Gyro’s face made Fenton’s heart want to break

“Hey,” he piped up, gently rubbing his boyfriend’s arm, “Launchpad is gonna watch some movies in his garage. He has some of those mini quiches you got robbed on. Want to go?”

Having fully expected Gyro to decline, Fenton was surprised to hear a tired “okay” from him and smiled as he got off the bench and offered the other his hand to help him up. Still holding each other’s hand, they walked for the garage of the mansion. Launchpad welcomed them in, accompanied by the static-laced radio in his hand playing Christmas songs.

“Fenton! Dr. G!” He ushered them over to the couch like the gracious host he was. “I have rum-spiced eggnog and some kweeshes-”

“Quiches,” Gyro corrected him, already grabbing one to stuff in his mouth and dropping onto the couch like a heavy weight. “Thank you.”

Fenton gave a slightly apologetic smile for any perceived rudeness to Launchpad and whispered, “He’s not having a good night.”

“No worries!” Launchpad gave a thumbs up. “There’s nothing like snacks and holiday cartoons to bring a smile to anyone’s face...and booze. Booze can work too.”   
  
“Speaking of booze, where is it?” Gyro asked, slouching on the couch and overall looking rather distant. Fenton took this opportunity to sit down next to him as close as he possibly could without feeling like he was overcrowding the other.   
  
“Right here!” Launchpad smiled, gesturing to a punch bowl sitting on the pretty beat-up coffee table that held the snacks. “Want me to get you a cup?”   
  
“Yes,” Gyro was quick to shoot back. “Please. I need it.”   
  
Fenton frowned at his remark, wanting to say something comforting but ultimately deciding not to. “Get me a cup too if you don’t mind.”   
  
Seconds later, the larger duck thrust red plastic cups in his and Gyro’s hands. “Hope you enjoy!”   
  
“Thanks, Launchpad,” Fenton sighed, taking a small sip from the drink and almost immediately gagging. “How much alcohol did you put in this?”   
  
“Oh, not too much,” Launchpad replied, busying himself with the VCR player. “Just one bottle.”   
  
“The entire bottle?”   
  
“.....Yeah?”   
  
Before Fenton could answer, he caught sight of Gyro, who simply shrugged his shoulders and downed the entire cup in one go. When he was done, he burped and set it down on the coffee table next to him.    
  
“Gyro!” Fenton cried out, more than a little concerned. “You’re going to die of alcohol poisoning!”   
  
“Can I have another?” the chicken requested, ignoring Fenton’s pleas.   
  
“Sure thing!” Launchpad said with a nod, and Fenton buried his face in his hands for a moment, setting his cup down.    


After two more generous cups worth of the rum-spiked eggnog (or vice versa), Gyro was tapped out, and the television special hadn’t even started yet. 

“Huh, I know Dr. G’s a lightweight and all, but I didn’t think he’d get hammered in less than twenty minutes,” Launchpad observed as he refreshed the punchbowl with another bottle of rum, forgetting the eggnog.

Gyro mumbled something incoherently and drifted off to sleep against Fenton’s shoulder. The duck sighed. “He’s not having a great start to the holidays. I think it’s kind of my fault.”

“What did you do?”

“I made him think about how he hasn’t seen any of his family in years, and I guess his Christmastime gets lonely without them.”

“Awww, poor guy. Well, he can join me for the holidays! There’s always room in the McQuack household!” He gestured to the garage. 

“That’s nice, Launchpad,” Fenton thanked him, absently running his fingers through the tuft of feathers on Gyro’s head, “but he’s going to my house for Christmas because you know. Boyfriend.”

“Oh. That makes sense!” Launchpad smiled, taking a swig of what he’d just put in the punchbowl and made a disgusted face. “Oh no! The eggnog’s gone bad!”

Fenton looked in the bowl, grimacing at the horrific amount of rum in it. “Launchpad, you have to add more eggnog to balance out the rum.”

“Oh. Yeah.”    
  
The larger duck smiled awkwardly and averted his attention back to the TV. Fenton sighed and let his attention switch intermittently from the screen to Gyro’s drunk cuddles against him.

_ Poor Gyro _ , he thought forlornly. Christmastime was one of his favorite times of the year, and it seemed like he was hardly having much fun. Fenton didn’t like the idea that Christmas morning would come, and Gyro would be at peak loneliness...and that he wouldn’t have a present for him. He was still struggling to come up with ideas.

It wasn’t fair. Gyro deserved to be happy. That’s what the holidays were all about.

“Ooh! My favorite part!” Launchpad mused, startling Fenton from his thoughts. “Darkwing helps the orphaned reindeer find his long lost parents who were kidnapped by Abominaborg and Yeti-tron. It’s really touching.”

Fenton watched with a wistful, slightly distracted smile as he kept thinking about what to do for Gyro’s present. He was almost ready to reluctantly settle on clothes he knew the chicken wouldn’t wear. Or a new toolkit. 

Launchpad sighed happily as the credits to the special rolled, and he flipped the channel to ‘ _ Santa Claws VS Rudolph the Black-Eyed Pain Deer: WWE Superslam. _ ’ “And the moral of that special was...sometimes the best Christmas present of all is family.”

“...Launchpad, say that again.”

“That again.”

“No, the other thing.”

“No, the other thing.”

Fenton almost spoke up again, then sighed, rubbing his forehead. What had been initially said was starting to ring in his head. Looking fondly down at Gyro as the chicken curled up against him on the couch, sound asleep, he smiled as an idea began to construct itself.

“Hey, Launchpad, I know you don’t celebrate it, but how would you like to spend Christmas with us? I might need to ask a favor of you.”

Before Launchpad could happily accept the invitation, Gyro woke in time to promptly throw up on Fenton’s lap.

* * *

“I can’t believe you even decorated the cactus!” Gyro almost guffawed at the abundance of decorations on the outside of the Cabrera household. Even with the snowfall covering a large quantity, there was plenty on the porch, from cloth Santas, to wooden reindeer to at least four fake trees. “Your mom wins decoration overkill. I forfeit.”

“She’ll be pleased,” Fenton laughed, shaking off his coat before he stepped inside. The roads had thankfully been cleared of snow so there was no issue driving home after picking Gyro up for their Christmas Eve plans...and there would be no issue for other drivers either.

They sat at the kitchen table to warm up with some hot chocolate when M’ma returned home from an errand. Gyro was too busy snacking on a fourth large marshmallow to notice the matron duck give an eager thumbs up to Fenton, who grinned back.

“Hey Gyro?” Fenton tapped the other’s hand.

“Yeth?” the chicken spoke up, mouth full of marshmallow.

“We’re gonna have dinner early and then decorate the tree because uh...we’re throwing a surprise Christmas party!”

Gyro gulped. “Uh...really?”

“Not a big one,” M’ma assured, “and it’s not really a surprise because Fenton and I do this every year on  _ Nochebuena _ . But it’s a surprise to you, no?”

“Yeah.” The inventor rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh...who usually comes to these parties?”

“Oh, we just invite people close to us. Like Launchpad. Or some neighbors or relatives. It’s lowkey and small. And we have plenty of snacks,” Fenton assured him with a grin.

Gyro’s uncertainty melted away with a bit of a relieved smile. “Well, alright. So long as there’s music and food, I’m great.”

“Glad you think so! Now, how about helping us make those buñuelos?”   


Even with the demonstrations, Gyro’s buñuelos came out a little funny looking, but it was plenty amusing for M’ma. “So long as they taste good, they’re fine,” she assured Gyro, and then scolded Fenton sharply for trying to sneak a bite of the dough that was about to be fried. Most of Gyro’s contributions to helping make dinner were awkward but earnest. After dinner, which was just as delicious as hoped, Fenton and Gyro both helped haul boxes down from the attic to decorate the tree.

“Only six boxes of ornaments?” Gyro teased M’ma as he dug through a box of tangled lights, slightly mortified.

“Oh. Yeah.” She waved him off and rooted through a box of tiny wooden ornaments. “That might need some unknotting. Fenton can help you.”

The two boys were almost getting tangled in the lights themselves, and when Fenton squeaked out a request for help, M’ma remarked she should just put the ornaments on the two instead.

“Who wants to plug the tree in?”

“Uh….” Gyro took a step back. “I have, without fail, been electrocuted every time I plug in Christmas lights. I love it, but it’s not healthy!”

“He’s not lying, M’ma. The tree in the lab shocks him every time.”

“Are you made of metal or something?” M’ma snorted, plugging the tree in herself. Somehow, even with the tree being absolutely drowned in tinsel, ornaments, fake flowers, baubles, popcorn strings and everything but the kitchen sink, the lights made it look sparkly, majestic and beautiful.

However, soon another kind of light caught Fenton’s attention: headlights, stalling right outside the house. He eagerly nodded to his mother, and they grabbed the empty boxes to carry them upstairs just as there was a knock on the door.

“Gyro, mijo,” M’ma spoke up before the chicken could grab a box to help them clean up, “could you get the door for us? We both have boxes in our hands.”   
  
“Sure thing!” he answered, stretching a bit before he headed to the door.    
  
When Gyro turned the knob, he expected to see Launchpad or one of Fenton’s relatives standing in front of him, probably holding some sort of gift and quick to burst out a loud greeting. However, he was rather surprised when he opened the door to someone who didn’t look like Launchpad or someone who could be related to Fenton.   
  
Standing in front of him was a rather tall, lanky chicken with long red hair tied back into a ponytail and freckles. She was wearing overalls over a red shirt and brown boots and had a rather surprised expression on her face, looking the other straight in the eyes as if she’d been expecting him. Come to think of it, she almost looked like…no. It couldn’t be.   
  
“Gyro?”    
  
At first, the chicken didn’t know what to do. He froze, unsure of what to believe. Was this really happening? Or was it another coincidence like at the party? But then again, if it was just the mystery girl who happened to look like his sister, how would she know his name? He adjusted his glasses, trying to make sure he wasn’t just seeing things. No matter what he did, she was still there.   
  
Finally, Gyro spoke. “M-Marie…?”   
  
Her eyes lit up, and she almost immediately went in for a tight, rib-shattering hug. “Oh my gosh, Gyro! It really  _ is _ you!”    
  
Although it felt a little like he was being crushed, Gyro could hardly even react with all the emotions flooding through his brain. No doubt about it, this was actually Marie.   
  
“I can’t believe it!” she spoke again, finally releasing him from the hug, looking ready to cry. “You’ve gotten so tall...” She laughed, wiping at her eyes.   
  
As much as he wanted to jump in on the bone-crushing hug that he missed so much, the inventor could hardly think straight enough to say one word. “I...you...h-how?”   
  
She pulled him in for another embrace as if she couldn’t believe he was really standing there. “The other day, your friend over there contacted me on BeakBook and told me you were living in Duckburg! I...well... _ nobody _ had any idea you were out here this far from home…”

“I-I…” Gyro was still struggling to make words, everything in his body was frozen in disbelief and awe.

“I just got in from Sparrowspring, and one of your other friends picked me up,” she continued to explain, then gave a shaky laugh. “I never thought I would find anyone who drives crazier than Teddy, but that guy definitely gives him a run for his money! He’s gonna be mad when he finds out he’s got competition.”   
  
Gyro’s brain was clouded with so many thoughts right now, but for some reason, Marie’s last sentence was what stuck out the most. “Wait...when he finds out?”   
  
“Do you seriously think he only contacted me?” Marie beamed, grabbing his hand to give it a squeeze.   
  
Acting on impulse, the chicken flipped around to Fenton. “Did you do this?”   
  
“Um...” the duck admitted, nervously flashing his boyfriend a grin. “....Merry Christmas?”

There was a long pause, and then much to both Fenton and Marie’s shock, Gyro suddenly put his head in his hands and cried.

“Gyro?!” Fenton yelped. “A-Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” A sobbed laugh came from out of Gyro’s hands, and suddenly, he had his sister in a tight hug. “Oh my god! It’s really you.”

“We all missed you,” Marie chuckled softly, close to crying herself as she rubbed his back comfortingly as he wept, his face muffled in her shoulder. “We’ve been trying to find you ever since you left home.”

“They never stopped looking for you,” M’ma piped up from the stairs, smiling. “None of them.”

Gyro had been close to wiping away his tears when the door was knocked on again, and Fenton decided to open it. Immediately two skinny roosters ran in.

“Gyro!” they both cheered, nearly tackling the emotional chicken in a bearhug which he was struggling to return in spite of being taller than either of them.

“Oh my god, Leo! Teddy!” Gyro cried, almost overwhelmed by the familial love.

“We’ve missed you so much!” Leo removed the glasses on his face to wipe his eyes. “Look at you! You almost look like my twin!”

“If your twin was a foot taller,” Teddy snarked lightly to Leo. “Gyro, dude, your driver friend is crazy! I gotta race him sometime! Where did he go anyway?”

“He’s gotta pick up the others,” Marie piped up, getting in on the love-fest.

Fenton looked to his mother. “Gyro’s gonna be a crying wreck all night. I feel awful!”

“Don’t be, pollito. Those are happy tears.” She smiled, wiping some of her own away.   


In about an hour, thanks to Launchpad’s speedy driving, the entire brood of Gearloose siblings was there. Gina, Almanzo, Sara, Camilla, Raymond, Roxie, Leo, Teddy, Marie and of course Gyro, all sat in the living room, embracing their youngest brother with all the hugs and affection he’d missed from them in over a decade. 

“I can’t believe how big you are now,” Gina cooed, standing two feet shorter than her littlest brother.

“Are you wearing lifts?” Almanzo teased.

Fenton had been busy giving Launchpad a big mug of hot chocolate and warm socks to thank him for doing all of the driving in below freezing weather. He smiled happily upon seeing Gyro sandwiched in-between two of his siblings as they were all smushed on the couch and chairs and catching up. He hadn’t seen Gyro this happy in so long.

“So where have you all been? And were you all really trying to find me? I didn’t mean to worry anyone.” Gyro finished the last piece of panettone Gina had brought.

“We all lived too far from Duckburg to really locate you, I guess,” Almanzo explained. “We were looking within a three-state radius.”

“No kidding,” Gyro mumbled.

There was a silence, then Raymond suddenly asked, “Why did you run away from home?”

“What?”

“Dad said you ran away.”

Gyro’s heart dropped and he sighed, “Oh. I didn’t run away….I left for an internship, and when I refused to give dad the money I made from it, he told me not to come back home. He also wouldn’t give me anyone’s contact information.”

Gina and Almanzo looked at each other, and his sister gently preened the feathers on the top of his head. “Oh, Gyro, we had no idea. We’re so sorry.”

“See why I don’t talk to that asshole anymore?” Roxie looked to Camilla. “He lost it when I brought my girlfriend to dinner. Haven’t talked to him in five years. No regrets.”

“None of us are really on good terms with mom or dad,” Camilla admitted to Gyro, “so guess we’re all in the same boat here.”

“Well,  _ we’re _ all here now at least.” Sara grabbed Gyro’s shoulder to gentle tussle him. “You have  _ so many _ nieces and nephews you have to meet now.”

Gyro laughed weakly. “Yeah, I bet. Really, I don’t know how to thank you...everyone coming all this way to see me on Christmas?”

“It’s the least we can do for our baby brother.” Marie pulled Gyro into a side-hug. “We’ve missed you!”

“If you’re gonna thank anyone, thank your boyfriend and his mom for getting in contact with us! I mean, I’m not sure how I feel about government officials tracking me down, but if it was to see you on Christmas, then that’s acceptable,” Teddy began to ramble.   
  
“Yeah!” Leo cut in, giving his brother a pat on the back. “That was really sweet of him. You’ve found yourself a real catch.”   
  
Gyro looked over to where Fenton was conversing with Launchpad. They locked eyes for a second, and the chicken smiled warmly at his boyfriend, who returned it with a gentle grin. “Yeah. I have.”   
  
“Speaking of boyfriends,” Teddy piped up, leaning in, “is your driver friend over there single?”   
  
A loud guffaw left Gyro’s throat, and he gave his brother a playful shove. “Teddy, oh my god!”   
  
“What?” the rooster laughed. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Don’t forget, while we’re all in town, you bet your ass we’re going to be watching your boyfriend,” Roxie teased Gyro. “Gotta make sure he’s only the best for our little guy.”

“Roxie, I’m two feet taller than you. I’m not little,” Gyro snorted.

“And I can still kick all of your collective asses!” the hen bragged, showing off her muscles.

“And anyway,” Gyro resumed, “I’ve known him long enough to decide if he’s right.”

Fenton heard the conversation from the kitchen as he helped M’ma put the finishing touches on their annual  _ Cake de Ron _ , feeling his face grow warm from blushing (and from sneaking sips of rum).

The night went on a long while until a late hour struck, and Gyro eventually bid all of his siblings goodnight. When the living room was quiet again, he sunk down on the couch with an exhausted expression as Fenton settled next to him. “That was...the most socializing I’ve ever done in my life I think.”   


“I can believe that. You had fifteen years to catch up on with nine different people!” Fenton laughed softly. “Are you gonna see them again soon?”

“Yeah. They’re all shacked up in hotels for the next couple days. We’ll have some time to meet up, and I can show them around Duckburg...with you of course.” Gyro smiled. “They want to get to know you.”

“Should I be scared?”

“Definitely. At least of Roxie.”   
  
Fenton chuckled. “Is being scary just a common trait in the Gearloose family gene pool?”   
  
“Are you suggesting that I’m scary?” Gyro questioned, sounding a little shocked.   
  
“Maybe a little.”   
  
“Oh, really?” A devious smile suddenly made its way to the chicken’s face, and before Fenton could even question what it was about, he tackled him and began to tickle his sides as viciously as he could. “How’s this for scary!?”   
  
Fenton began laughing loud and trying his hardest to pry the other away from him. “G-Gyro! Wh-What are you doing!?”   
  
“Proving you right!” the inventor spoke smugly, showing no signs of stopping. “Now quiver before me, weakling!”   
  
The duck continued to laugh and kick his feet, doing his best to stop his boyfriend to no avail. “Ha! C-Can you stop!?”   
  
“Not until you say that I am the best inventor  _ and boyfriend _ in all of Duckburg!” Gyro wagered, smirk growing.   
  
“O-Okay, okay! You, Gyro Gearloose, are the best inventor and boyfriend in all of Duckburg!” Fenton choked out as quickly as he could. “Now p-please, I’m gonna break a rib!”   
  
Seeming satisfied with the reply, Gyro stopped tickling Fenton but remained flattened on top of him, looking at him with a gentle and warm expression. “Alright. I’ll stop now.”   
  
Fenton couldn’t help but blush when he saw how genuinely happy his boyfriend looked at that moment, moreso than he had in months. “You’re in a really good mood, aren’t you?”   
  
“I suppose,” Gyro answered modestly. “Maybe I had a bit too much eggnog tonight.”   
  
“Or maybe you just had a really good day?”   
  
“Hmmm. Maybe.” He sighed softly. “But even if I did, it wasn’t because of me.”   
  
“Yeah,” Fenton cut in. “I mean, you and all of your siblings together for the first time in years? That has to be pretty exciting.”   
  
“Well, yeah, but there were others here tonight as well.” Gyro lowered his eyelids, giving his boyfriend a knowing look.

Fenton couldn’t help but blush. “Awww. I wanted to do something really nice for you. It was our first Christmas together, y’know?”

“I think you made it my best Christmas ever,” Gyro admitted bluntly, still smiling as he tightened his hug around Fenton’s middle and nuzzled against him as they snuggled on the couch. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course,” Fenton sighed gently, kissing the chicken’s cheek and preening the feathers there.

“Though now it’s going to make my present for you look mediocre in comparison,” Gyro admitted.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see tomorrow,” Gyro promised with a tired smile. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Fenton yawned back.

The two smiled at each other affectionately as they turned their attention back to the beautiful lights of the tree, content to stare at it until they drifted off in wait for Christmas day.   
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Headcanoned list of siblings in Gyro's family (by Barracuda), listed by oldest to youngest.  
> -Gina (Ultimate mama of the family, will feed you until you are dead)  
> -Almanzo (Good ol' farmhand type dude, probably has like twelve kids)   
> -Sara (Works in journalism and the most straightlaced and responsible)  
> -Camilla (Beauty queen and aspiring actress...keyword aspiring.)  
> -Raymond & Roxie (twins, respective Jock and Roller Derby Queen!)  
> -Teddy (Absolute daredevil and career slacker and conspiracy theorist)  
> -Leo (Quiet librarian guy, looks uncannily similar to Gyro)  
> -Marie (Lives the lesbian farmer dream)  
> And then baby of the family, Gyro, who is still taller than all of them :)


End file.
